Memories,exe
by The Draigg
Summary: When something wrong is discovered in a routine scan of Penny's internal systems, the robot girl is put into an almost unthinkable position. One that she never even noticed, no less. What will happen to her then? Are her memories truly the key to who she is as a person? And is the only available option truly the best for her, or not?


**Hey, it's The Draigg, and I'm finally back with a story for you all! I hope you're ready for a story starring our one and only** ** _RWBY_** **robot girl, Penny! Sure, I don't even have a quarter of the talent she probably has. But, I do try. Also, a quick shout-out to my ever so lovely partner, Falcyon, for inspiring this little work of literature. Now, with all that said, let's get to the story!**

 **XXX**

 _…_

 _…_

 _…_ _TyrellCorp MarionetteDOS 9.3 Running…_

 _…_ _Running P.E.N.N.Y. core unit…_

 _…_ _Personality reload 100%_

 _…_ _Performing reboot scan…_

 _90%- ERROR_

 _/VIEW SCAN RESULTS?/ Y/N_

 _…_ _AMBAC Wiring—CHECK_

 _…_ _AMBAC Swords—CHECK_

 _…_ _Limb Unit Rotation—CHECK_

 _…_ _Joint Rotor Movement—CHECK_

 _…_ _—CHECK_

 _…_ _—CHECK_

 _…_ _—CHECK_

 _…_ _Vector Cannon Connection Port Access- CHECK_

 _…_ _Manual Override Contingency—CHECK_

 _…_ _Automatic Override Contingency—CHECK_

 _…_ _SchneeSoft Anti-Virus Protection™-CHECK_

 _…_ _Legacy Systems—CHECK_

 _…_ _Wireless Connection Access—CHECK_

 _…_ _Saved Long-term Memory—CORRUPTED FILES DETECTED_

 _/VIEW FILES?/ Y/N_

 **XXX**

General Ironwood pressed his lips together. His mouth was unusually dry, something that usually happened with spikes of anxiety. Out of all the times he had Penny scanned, this was the first time an error of this kind popped up. What could it have been? Why just now? There was no reason to assume any damage had been done, as Penny hadn't seen any combat recently.

"Is there something wrong, sir?" a tinny voice asked. General Ironwood looked over at Penny, still strapped into her scan cradle.

"Nothing to worry about," Ironwood lied, glancing up from his computer monitor. "Just need to clean up a few things."

Penny slowly nodded her head, the little rotors in her neck audibly whirring as they struggled to carry out the seemingly simple task. The fact that her motions were always noticeably hindered when her software was being looked over was something Ironwood wanted sorted out when possible. It wasn't that it was that much of an issue, but it certainly brought to mind the uncomfortable aspects of the uncanny valley. Ironwood made a quick mental note to put that in a future memo to his tech staff.

Without a moment more of hesitation, Ironwood entered 'Y' to view the corrupted files.

 **XXX**

 _F—e 42-81—/CONSC-US S—EAM_

 _Oh, wil- -ople be my fr-e-ds? – hope that the gi- - the –ow is a Faun-! I have never met one! I kn-w whaafdsgfnsbr do! I'll ask this one111011111 my fr-_

 _/UNSALVAGEABLE DATA STREAM/PLEASE SEE SYSTEM ADMIN_

 **XXX**

" _Good thing I'm an administrator then,_ " Ironwood dryly noted in his head.

Regardless, he didn't have the faintest idea how to deal with this. The system itself said that it couldn't salvage the data, so what was he even to do? Ironwood wasn't like Penny's creator. The computer and science degrees that man held would put people like Ozpin to shame. While Ironwood did have a basic understanding of computer sciences and mechanical design, he simply could not compete with Penny's creator.

With a small sigh, Ironwood typed in a command string to show the next corrupted memory file.

 **XXX**

 _-ile -2171-3/-ONSCIOU- STREAM_

 _Ruby is – go-d name for my new friend! I think we –a- re—y bond tog—her! But, I wo0000001der if her friends can be mi11-e too? Sh-=LD I re- that I- an—o-d? Woul= they n-t l—e me for wha- I am? I hop- not-_

 _/UNSALVAGEABLE DATA STREAM/PLEASE SEE SYSTEM ADMIN_

 **XXX**

More unsalvageable data. Just great. Just fine and peachy.

Ironwood scratched his temple, thinking. " _If the data was corrupted from that much earlier… Hmmm… Whatever caused it must've been rather effective. Maybe her memory files hold the answer._ "

Looking up from the monitor, Ironwood heard Penny softly hum to herself. Although he couldn't put his finger on it exactly, Ironwood was sure it was an old song. It either had to do with bicycles, or daisies, something or another like that. It was almost funny that Penny could remember something as simple as a song, while large parts of her memories were corrupted beyond repair.

Then, something clicked in Ironwood's mind. "Penny, when did you learn that song?" he asked.

Penny broke off her humming to look over at Ironwood. "Oh, it was one of the first things my creator taught me," she replied dutifully.

As Penny carried on with her tune, Ironwood put some of the pieces together. Whatever did this, it didn't affect memories from early on in her development. If push came to shove, at least her entire memory bank wouldn't have to be wiped.

Now that he had an idea in mind, Ironwood decided to view a more recent memory.

 **XXX**

 _File 4213071/CONSCIOUS STREAM_

 _I think I met Ruby and her friends near here before… From Dust to Dawn? What an odd name for a store! I believe it is what is called a pun. I should save that for later usage. Oh, what are those? My, now this is an i11111teresting sto-. Perhaps it would n—h-rt if I wen- in-bafnyrgarganttnpiwa-_

 _/RECOVERY DATA DETECTED/ RECOVER? Y/N_

 **XXX**

Ironwood exhaled at the small break of luck. It really was fortunate that this file wasn't too badly damaged. If the recovered files could tell him anything at all, then that would make his job even easier.

With one stroke of the 'Y' key, James began to recover the files.

 **XXX**

 _…_ _Recovering…_

 _…_ _10%_

 _…_ _33%_

 _…_ _42%_

 _…_ _61%_

 _…_ _87%_

 _…_ _99%_

 _…_ _100%_

 _RECOVERY COMPLETE/VIEW RECOVERED FILES?/ Y/N_

 _Y_

 _File 4213071/CONSCIOUS STREAM_

 _I think I met Ruby and her friends near here before… From Dust to Dawn? What an odd name for a store! I believe it is what is called a pun. I should save that for later usage. Oh, what are those? My, now this is an interesting store. Perhaps it would not hurt if I went inside._

 _…_ _Oh, those are colorful! And they have a lot of names too! Maybe Ruby would appreciate a personalized magnet. And maybe the rest of her team would too! If I am correct, friends always surprise other friends with gifts._

 _Huh, these cost five lien each. Let me see if I have enough on my person._

 _Drat! I don't have enough! I suppose I'll have to come back another day with the right amount._

 _…_ _What? Oh no, I shouldn't have gotten that close! I better take these off and put them back!_

 _There! I think I got all of them. I just hope that the shopkeeper doesn't notice._

 _/END FILE/_

 **XXX**

Magnets? That's what caused all this? Ironwood shook his head a little in disbelief. He was under the impression that a problem like that had already taken care of. If magnets were truly the issue here, then Ironwood wouldn't have much of a choice other than to send Penny in for some heavy upgrades and a comprehensive system reboot.

But, first things first, this memory corruption was a more immediate crisis. Ironwood glanced over at Penny. She still looked oblivious to her internal file damage. If anything, it looked like she was daydreaming. Maybe she was enjoying a full memory that she had.

" _She better enjoy her memories while she can…_ " Ironwood thought with a hint of concern. As much as Penny was a gynoid, she was still human enough to actually look on her memories with a certain fondness. Losing those precious things wasn't something Ironwood would wish on anyone. Still, it was really the only thing to be done. Otherwise, the corrupted files could lead to some further complications down the line.

Ironwood sighed a little as he returned his attention to Penny. "Penny, a technician will take care of it from here. Is that fine with you?"

"Indeed it is!" Penny chipperly replied.

Giving a brief nod in confirmation, Ironwood looked back at his monitor. He needed to leave a few instructions for the technician to follow. After all, if any decisions about Penny's well-being were to be made, James Ironwood was in the best position to do it at the moment. So, he only wanted what was necessary to be removed gone from Penny's data banks. Trimming of the fat, as it were.

Ironwood was sure that Penny's creator wouldn't mind. They were necessary repairs, after all. Such an intellectual would understand his actions well enough. After all, that was just the nature of the business.

Ironwood gave Penny one more look before leaving the room. There she sat, a girl hooked up to a scanning cradle, with several connecting wires stuck into her body. It was interesting to think how something so artificial looked so human at the same time. All Ironwood could hope for was that she'd still act human after all was said and done.

At that, Ironwood spun on his heel and walked out of the lab. Penny looked at his back vanish behind the automatic doors closing, before closing her eyes. Softly, began to hum her favorite song again. She still had time to wait before her scan was finished.

As she waited, her mind began to wander. Penny thought back to her day at the dust shop. She still needed to get her best friends some gifts. However, she made sure to make a mental note to be a little more careful next time. But, Penny doubted that she would forget about that little incident.

So Penny waited and waited, remembering what happened the other day.

But, just a short while later, she forgot.

She forgot it all.


End file.
